Selling starts before the pitch

A consultant can spend a week improving a presentation without asking whether the meeting ought to happen. The slides become clearer. The opportunity does not. A polished explanation cannot repair a poor match between the client's problem and the work being offered.

Begin earlier. What event made the buyer look for help? Who experiences the problem? What would improve if it were resolved? These questions determine whether a sales conversation has a useful purpose. They also give the adviser permission to say that a different kind of help would be more appropriate.

Consider an illustrative situation: a business asks for sales training because proposals are not converting. A closer look shows that most enquiries come from companies too small to afford the service. Teaching objection handling may improve confidence while leaving the underlying problem untouched. The first recommendation should concern the source and qualification of enquiries.

There is a commercial cost to this approach. Some buyers want a supplier to execute a brief, and challenging the brief can lose the work. That is a reason to ask with care, not to pretend that every request is a sound diagnosis. Explain what you have noticed and invite correction before recommending a different route.

The first useful sales document is therefore a short account of the decision the client faces. If neither party can describe that decision, the presentation is probably premature.